


Children

by Zorua_Illusion



Series: Genyatta Week 2018 [6]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Genyatta Week 2018, Pre-Relationship, day 6: kids, late because whoops it's 1 am and I have to be somewhere at 9 am guess I should sleep now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 19:59:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13724925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorua_Illusion/pseuds/Zorua_Illusion
Summary: It's adorable to see Zenyatta interact with children.





	Children

If there is one thing Genji could watch forever, it is Zenyatta as he plays with children. It is extraordinarily adorable to see the omnic interact with any younglings who cross their path.

It is the village children Genji sees Zenyatta interact with first. Most of the village, if not all of its residents, are okay with the omnics who live in the long-abandoned monastery farther up the path in no small part due to the semi-barter system the two communities have with one another as well as the boom in business from tourists coming to find the Shambali for whatever reason. The omnics also teach the village’s children in shifts several times a week.

Zenyatta is one of the omnics who volunteers to do so and is apparently one of the children’s favorite teachers. Perhaps it is the fact that he is not particularly strict in the way the children learn, allowing for moments of silliness and fun so long as they do not distract others. He played with the children, too, during their breaks from lessons and during their free days, if he came down. Frankly, it was adorable to watch as the younger children climbed around Zenyatta as he floated about a foot and a half off the ground, using him as a living jungle gym as the omnic laughed at the sensation.

Then it is the children of Zenyatta’s former students. While their parents were watching, the kids were on their best behavior and nothing but respectful. In some cases, however, when Zenyatta was left alone with the children, he would involve them in pranking their parents. It was always a harmless prank, such as moving all the magnets and drawings from the refrigerator onto his person (and, occasionally, Genji’s, if he could get the cyborg to play along), but it always endeared him to the children and sent them into giggle fits, and everyone laughed when they noticed what had happened.

Perhaps the best situation, however, is when Zenyatta runs into infants. He never directly walks up to one they run across on the street, well aware of people’s prejudices and fears, but occasionally a parent will notice Zenyatta’s repeated looks and softened body language and offer him the chance to coo over the child. Genji stays behind, keeping a loose eye on Zenyatta should the omnic need help but not making a move to come over. He is not as inclined to babies as Zenyatta is, and he does not want to set the parent on edge by talking to them (as it could be perceived as a distraction to whatever dastardly deed their minds had conjured that Zenyatta might do). He’s not sure how to encapsulate the scene of Zenyatta cooing at and playing with the infants in strollers and slings. No matter what, the baby is always smiling and giggling within a few moments of meeting Zenyatta. Genji and the guardian are usually smiling as well at the situation.

Zenyatta will also offer help if the guardian of a child appears tired or panicked at the sound of crying. He’s either shooed away or allowed to help, depending on several factors. Every time he is allowed to help, the child will stop crying within a few moments of being the focus of the omnic’s attention. Zenyatta will tell the guardian what the issue is; overwarm, cold, lonely, bored, whatever it was, Zenyatta always knew. Then the two would leave, though not without a few backward glances from Zenyatta. It’s _adorable,_ Genji thinks, followed by a tiny part of his brain whispering that Zenyatta would be an excellent parent: the right mix of playful, kind, and stern.

This train of thought comes up multiple times and every time Genji feels himself flush. He’s not entirely sure why he keeps following the train; or rather, he has some inkling that he doesn’t want to delve into right now. He will, at some point, if for no other reason than to prevent a breakdown from repressing the natural flow of his thoughts and emotions.

For now, he is content to watch Zenyatta as the omnic plays with the newborn child of one of his former students they are currently staying with. They’re playing peek-a-boo currently, and Genji feels himself melt at the cuteness of the scene. There’s a time for everything, and right now is the time to appreciate what’s happening right in front of him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact 1: This is the fourth chapter written entirely pen/paper before being typed up. It’s the standard length of two notebook pages, front-back. EDIT: In case you can’t tell, this was originally written for Building Bridges, but it fit so well into Genyatta Week… well, I’ll figure something else out for Building Bridges.  
> Fun Fact 2: Following, my favorite pen died in writing it, so it’s half purple ink and half blue ink because I carried two pens with me when I worked as a cashier.  
> Fun Fact 3: I don’t really think about what Zenyatta did before being part of the Shambali, but I like the idea that he was or was meant to be a teacher, or maybe general childcare.  
> Fun Fact 4: I’m not really able to interact with children under the age of 12 really well, so most of the baby/young child interactions are based on my sister’s interactions with the kids she nannies/babysits (lovingly referred to as “her kids”).  
> Fun Fact 5: This was inspired by Wonder Woman (the movie), where she’s about to run off to go coo over a baby. I imagined Zenyatta in a similar situation and… well. Here we are.  
> Fun Fact 6: Art will come later; I have two critique days in a row and I've spent the past few days getting everything ready.


End file.
